WOW FILM FESTIVAL
EVENTS 2024
ABERCON 2024
Anyone who’s a fan of animation - or a bit geeky in general - will love Abercon, our accessible west Wales anime convention. Join us for a family friendly, joyful day full of anime, creative workshops, games and stalls. The theme of Abercon this year is ‘community’. We will be making a community animation together on the day, come and join in. Don’t forget to dress up and enter the cosplay competition!
Dates & Venues:
Saturday 23 March, 10am-5pm
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Learn More
TALE OF THE THREE JEWELS
In solidarity with the people of Palestine, WOW will screen the 1995 Tale of The Three Jewels, the first feature film ever to be shot entirely in the Gaza Strip, in Bangor and Aberystwyth.
These are charity screenings and all proceeds will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians(MAP). Fundraising pack here
Dates & Venues:
Pontio: Tue 12/03, 2.00pm
Aberystwyth Arts Centre: Fri 22/03, 1.30pm
FLOTACIJA Q&A
We're glad to be joined by one of the directors of 'Flotacija,' Eluned Zoe Aiano, for a post-screening Q&A at Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
Speaker Bio
Eluned Zoe Aiano is a filmmaker, editor and translator with a background in Visual Anthropology whose work is generally centred on Central/Eastern Europe. Her short All Her Dying Lovers, an animated documentary made in collaboration with Anna Benner, premiered at Hot Docs and was published on the New York Times Op Docs section. She attended IFDA Academy 2022. She was selected for the Wapping Artist Residency in Berlin and the Pépinières Européennes de Création residency inn Quebec. She is currently artist in residence at the Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival. She also writes about film and is a regular contributor to the East European Film Bulletin.
Date & Venue
Aberystwyth Arts Centre: Mon 25/03, 2.30pm
CREATING SAFER SPACE: STORIES OF UNARMED CIVILIAN PROTECTION + panel discussion
We are excited to be hearing from two of the principal investigators who instigated the creation of the films:
Dr Marwan Darweish, whose research focuses on cultural heritage peace processes, conflict transformation and nonviolence resistance. Dr. Darweish carries extensive experience across the Middle East region and has a special interest in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, which will be addressed in one of the films shown.
Dr Piergiuseppe Parisi, whose research interests fall within the broad areas of international criminal justice, transitional justice and international human rights law.
Dates & Venues:
Aberystwyth Arts Centre: Sun 24/03, 2.30pm
MAMI WATA
The screening of Mami Wata in Aberystwyth Arts Centre will be followed by an evening talk with Jennifer Robinson. Join us to discuss African folklore, spirituality, gender dynamics, and they way they are depicted through the film's narrative and visual imagery.
Speaker Bio
Jennifer G. Robinson is the Founder/Director of Women Of The Lens Film Festival, dedicated to the work of British Black women in the film industries. With its first festival in 2017, the platform has already screened over 200 films - not only from the UK, but from across the globe. It was after the 2015 role of Festival Coordinator for the iconic Black Filmmakers International Film Festival, created by the late Menelik Shabazz, that Jennifer ventured into film festival production and curation after seeing a lack of channels to prioritise the talents of British Black women in the creative industries.
Jennifer's career spans journalism, film and education and as someone who is always prepared to adapt, she now has cross-pollinated into communications where social media management, specialising in the film industries, is her major. Jennifer is passionate about the creative arts and champions platforms that provides others' opportunities to showcase, exchange and nurtures careers within the industry.
Dates & Venue
Aberystwyth Arts Centre: Fri 22/03, 7.45pm
CREATING SAFER SPACE
+ panel discussion
Following the screening of the ‘Creating Safer Space: Water Conflicts’ short films, Prof. Berit Bliesemann de Guevara will be joined by Sarah Reisz and Aim King for a panel discussion chaired/hosted by Berit Bliesemann de Guevara.
Berit Bliesemann de Guevara
Berit Bliesemann de Guevara, PhD, is Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University and principal investigator of the international research network Creating Safer Space. She is particularly
interested in bottom-up peace processes, unarmed civilian-to-civilian protection amidst armed violence, and textile-making as a research method.
https://research.aber.ac.uk/en/persons/berit-bliesemann-de-guevara
Sarah Reisz
A lifelong activist and environmental campaigner, Sarah has lived in the Dyfi Valley all her life and has been involved in many local and national campaigns - including MADRYN (Against nuclear waste dumping),
Greenham actions, stopping badger culling in Wales and currently, against the proliferation of Intensive Poultry Units throughout the borders and mid Wales. Sarah is particularly concerned with the increasing tendency by governments (including the Welsh Government) to withdraw or deny basic rights and self determination to nature and local peoples alike and she has been working with her community to defend their rivers and natural world against the devastation already caused by these units to the Wye and the Usk.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre: Fri 22/03, 4.00pm